Library of Congress highlights digitization and services for people with print disabilities
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Summary
Librarian Carla Hayden told the House Administration Committee the Library has digitized tens of millions of items, serves millions of online and onsite users, and continues to expand services including the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.
At an oversight hearing before the House Committee on House Administration, Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden described the Library's digitization progress and public-access work, including services for readers with print disabilities.
Hayden said the library has more than 81,000,000 physical items in its collection and has digitized approximately 61,000,000 items. Committee members and the librarian highlighted that digital access enables broader public use of unique holdingsfrom presidential papers to photographsfor people who cannot travel to Washington. Hayden cited examples digitized for online access, including every page of Theodore Roosevelt's diary and other presidential papers.
The library reported strong public engagement last year: in fiscal 2024 the Thomas Jefferson Building drew about 883,000 visitors (an increase of 22% from the prior year), and the library recorded roughly 98,000,000 unique visitors to its websites. The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) circulated more than 22,000,000 braille, audio and large-print items in fiscal 2024 and has expanded services under the Marrakesh Treaty and other efforts to reach people with dyslexia and other disabilities.
Representative Sewell and others praised the library's public programming and stressed the role of digitization in reaching rural and underserved communities. Hayden credited cross-training staff and digital labs for enabling pilots in AI and other tools to enhance services in the Congressional Research Service and across the library.
Committee members did not take formal action at the hearing but asked for continued support for the library's digital programs and for further details about accessibility and distribution for disabled readers.